Animal Breeding and Genetics Key Laboratory of Sichuan Province, Sichuan Animal Science Academy, 7# Niusha Road, Chengdu, 610066, Sichuan, China.
Biochem Genet. 2024 Oct;62(5):4120-4136. doi: 10.1007/s10528-023-10643-y. Epub 2024 Jan 27.
The feather growth rate in chickens included early and late feathering. We attempted to characterize the genes and pathways associated with the feather growth rate in chickens that are not in agreement with Mendelian inheritance. Gene expression profiles in the hair follicle tissues of late-feathering cocks (LC), early-feathering cocks (EC), late-feathering hens (LH), and early-feathering hens (EH) were acquired using RNA sequencing (RNA-seq), mass spectrometry (MS), and quantitative reverse transcription PCR (qRT‑PCR). A total of 188 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were ascertained in EC vs. LC and 538 DEGs were identified in EH vs. LH. We observed that 14 up-regulated genes and 9 down-regulated genes were screened both in EC vs. LC and EH vs. LH. MS revealed that 41 and 138 differentially expressed proteins (DEPs) were screened out in EC vs. LC and EH vs. LH, respectively. Moreover, these DEGs and DEPs were enriched in multiple feather-related pathways, including JAK-STAT, MAPK, WNT, TGF-β, and calcium signaling pathways. qRT-PCR assay showed that the expression of WNT8A was decreased in LC compared with EC, while ALK and GRM4 expression were significantly up-regulated in EH relative to LH. This study helps to elucidate the potential mechanism of the feather growth rate in chickens that do not conform to genetic law.
鸡的羽毛生长速度包括早期和晚期羽毛生长。我们试图描述与不符合孟德尔遗传规律的鸡的羽毛生长速度相关的基因和途径。使用 RNA 测序（RNA-seq）、质谱（MS）和定量逆转录 PCR（qRT-PCR）获取晚期羽毛公鸡（LC）、早期羽毛公鸡（EC）、晚期羽毛母鸡（LH）和早期羽毛母鸡（EH）的毛囊组织中的基因表达谱。在 EC 与 LC 相比和 EH 与 LH 相比中确定了 188 个差异表达基因（DEG）。我们观察到在 EC 与 LC 和 EH 与 LH 中均筛选出 14 个上调基因和 9 个下调基因。MS 分别筛选出 EC 与 LC 和 EH 与 LH 中的 41 和 138 个差异表达蛋白（DEP）。此外，这些 DEG 和 DEP 富集在多个与羽毛相关的途径中，包括 JAK-STAT、MAPK、WNT、TGF-β 和钙信号通路。qRT-PCR 检测显示，LC 中的 WNT8A 表达水平低于 EC，而 EH 中的 ALK 和 GRM4 表达水平明显高于 LH。本研究有助于阐明不符合遗传规律的鸡的羽毛生长速度的潜在机制。
